Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: In line with its dedication to upskilling the Emirate’s healthcare professionals and investing in the sector’s human capital, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rabdan Academy, a government-owned education institution and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP), an internationally recognised academic medical practice. The agreement seeks to ensure the sustainability of emergency preparedness and crisis management in the healthcare sector through exchanging knowledge and resource sharing in the sector's Health Emergency Management domain.

Through this MoU, DoH aims to ensure the agility of the sector and preparedness of the national healthcare ecosystem to respond to rising emergencies through constantly deploying breakthrough technologies, advancing the workforce and foreseeing rising challenges.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Rashed Obaid Alsuwaidi, Executive Director of the Healthcare Workforce Planning Sector at DoH, Hamad Abdulrahman Al Zaabi, Acting Executive Director of Support Services at Rabdan Academy, and Kristen Beech, Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at HMFP at the Department’s headquarters.

In an effort to further cement Abu Dhabi’s global position as a pioneering healthcare destination, the parties will upskill healthcare workers and organisations in disaster and emergency readiness, build capabilities, and ensure preparedness through training, research and development, workshops, conferences, and seminars. In addition to exchanging scientific materials, publications, and information, as well as providing students with internship programmes in various fields. Furthermore, the parties will introduce unique and specialized education in the field of Health Emergency Management for the first time in the region.

On this occasion, Dr. Rashed Obaid Alsuwaidi, Executive Director of the Healthcare Workforce Planning Sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi said: “We at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi are committed to collaborating with our strategic partners, Rabdan Academy and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, unifying efforts to further advance the Emirate’s preparedness for healthcare emergencies. The collaboration reflects DoH’s commitment to building a future-proof healthcare sector. Through these partnerships, we aim to foster collaborative learning among healthcare professionals to ensure they are equipped to respond in a timely manner to shifting healthcare demands. Such efforts help the Department excel in emergency preparedness, that will safeguard the health and safety of the community during adverse situations.”

Hamad Abdulrahman Al Zaabi, Acting Executive Director of Support Services at Rabdan Academy, emphasized the significance of this collaboration in enhancing the health preparedness system in both the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. He underscored the Academy's commitment to dedicating its technical capabilities, expertise and specialized personnel to achieve the shared goal. This partnership aligns with the Academy's overarching mission to bolster the resilience and preparations of national entities in crucial domains such as safety, security, defence, emergency preparedness, and crisis management.

Gregory Ciottone, MD, Director of the Division of Disaster Medicine at HMFP and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School said: “We very much look forward to this collaboration that will allow HMFP’s Division of Disaster Medicine to support the innovative initiatives in preparedness and response being implemented in Abu Dhabi. Through this cooperative agreement, we will work closely with the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi and Rabdan Academy to deliver high quality training programs designed specifically for the emergency preparedness needs of the Emirate.”

Founded in 2013, Rabdan Academy is a government-owned education institution in Abu Dhabi.  The Academy supports the country's development and modernisation by training and qualifying the national cadre in the fields of safety, security, defence, emergency preparedness, and crisis management. Providing an exceptional educational experience for students, combining academic and vocational training in a hands-on learning environment.

Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, one of New England's largest physician organisations, provides the highest quality care to patients worldwide through its 2,200+ providers and cutting-edge medical research.

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About Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH):

The Department of Health – (DOH) is the regulatory body of the Healthcare Sector at the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ensures excellence in Healthcare for the community by monitoring the health status of the population. DOH defines the strategy for the health system, monitors and analyses the health status of the population and performance of the system. In addition, DOH shapes the regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforce standards, and encourages adoption of world – class best practices and performance targets by all healthcare service providers in the Emirate. DOH also drives programmes to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in addition to regulating scope of services, premiums and reimbursement rates of the health system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

For more information visit www.doh.gov.ae

Media Contacts
Weber Shandwick for Department of Health – Abu Dhabi
Sara Farrah
Sfarrah@webershandwick.com